Manga Spice Cafe is 'your monthly manga maid cafe in a box!' Each box contains three newly released manga, snacks and a drink. From Manga Spice Cafe:
Manga Spice Cafe brings the unique experience of a Japanese manga maid cafe to the comfort of your own home. Every month, you'll receive a box containing 3 newly released manga, fresh from Japan, as well as 3–5 sweet and savory Asian snacks with a special cafe drink item. Every box will feature a lovely maid character and info sheet highlighting the manga and the artists who worked on them. There may even be an extra surprise gift from one of our maids!
This box was sent to us for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Manga Spice Cafe
The Subscription Box: Manga Spice Cafe
The Cost: $36 per month + shipping
The Products: 3 brand new manga, 3–5 Japanese snacks and a drink.
Ships to: US for $3.95 and Internationally for $24/month. International shipments include powdered drinks instead of liquid drinks.
Manga Spice Cafe February 2018
Each box features a maid from Manga Spice Cafe. Meet Tomoko-chan:
I love fighting and action, so I packed you a box full of manga w/ dangerous girls. Plus if you like pizzerias, then you're gonna love all the yummy snacks and drinks that I added in here!
Dangerous girls and pizza are a good combination – I'd say the box is off to a good start so far!
The info sheet opens up to include lots of information about all the items in the box. I particularly like that English information and ingredients were given for the Asian food items.
Texas Corn, Pizza – Retail Value $0.28 (¥30)
These were delicious and gone all too soon. If you've had any American-style corn puffs, these aren't much different. If you're new to Japanese snacks and aren't sure if you feel adventurous, give these a try.
Oishi Tomato Ketchup Fries – Retail Value $0.79
These 'ketchup fries' were light and crunchy, with a sweet tang.
Caplico Giant Strawberry Cone – Retail Value $1.82
My strawberry cone arrived melted, but I didn't mind. I've had these before – I'm always drawn to the cute ice cream design – but they're very sweet and filling.
WANT WANT Smoothie, blueberry & strawberry – Buy a 4-pack for $2.08
These packets go in the freezer for 45 minutes before you drink them. In the US, I often think of sweet yogurt as being more like ice cream, and I don't really like it. However, I really loved yogurt in Japan, which is usually more watery like this drink. This particular yogurt had a tartness to it that I wasn't sure about, but I thought it was a fun thing to try out.
Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka vol. 1 – Retail Value $12.99 (found here for $9.20)
I read this one first because I liked the artwork and magical girl theme. Although it's volume 1, I felt like I was entering the middle of the story. This book centered on Asuka, but there were references to other girls who undoubtedly make further appearances in future volumes. By the end, I felt like I was just beginning to get my bearings in this universe. From Amazon:
Three years ago, alien invaders ravaged the Earth–until they were defeated by a group of young women blessed with powers from a mysterious source. The girls went back to their normal lives after vanquishing the ghastly monsters, but that time of peace is about to end. The same malevolent creatures have resurfaced, which means it's time for the Magical Girl Special Ops force to head back to the battlefront and defend mankind!
7th Garden Vol. 1 – Retail Value $9.99 (found here for $9.40)
This was my favorite manga in the box; it has an interesting balance of seriousness and humor. The story is fast-paced but easy to follow, and the artwork is well done. From Amazon:
After a fierce battle with Angel Levi, Maria travels to another world, and the secret of 7thGARDEN is fully revealed. Can this realm of gnomes, angels and demons solve humanity's problems? Or is it just a game board for powerful elites to exploit everyone else? Either way, why are the most tragic historical events being reenacted there…? Will we never learn from history?
RWBY – Retail Value $14.99 (found here for $8.99)
From Amazon:
The world of Remnant is filled with horrific monsters bent on the destruction of humanity. Fortunately, the kingdoms of the world have risen to combat these forces by training powerful Huntsmen and Huntresses at academies around the planet. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long are four such Huntresses in training.
The book included in this box had an exclusive RWBY fold-out poster!
This one was a quick read, without a lot of text. I liked the artwork, which had a more minimal style than the other manga featured in this box. I haven't seen the anime version yet, but am curious about it after reading the manga.
Verdict: This was such a fun box to receive! I enjoy manga but don't keep up with it much, so I wouldn't know what to buy on my own. This box was a fun way to spend some time exploring different stories that I would not have thought of choosing. The snacks were great and a perfect complement to the books.
This box contained three books and five snack items for $40 shipped. I estimate a retail value of $41.90, going by the full cover price on the books (less with sale prices). The snacks are inexpensive, but shipping on Asian snacks drives the price up quite a bit. Overall I think the value is fair for the price.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Orders for the next box open on April 1.
APRIL SPOILER:
April's box will include the manga Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku 1 and Lotte Milkis.
Value Breakdown: This box cost me $36 + $3.95 shipping, which means that each of the 8 items in the box has an average cost of $4.99.
Check out more manga and anime boxes in the Anime Subscription Box List!
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What do you think of February's Manga Spice Cafe?
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